Noah was a six-hundred-year-old sage who heeded a divine warning and, by command, built a massive ship. Before the deluge's punishing waters covered the earth, he boarded the ark, taking with him a sprout of hope: his sons, his faithful wife, and his daughters-in-law.

The Great Destruction Begins After seven days of waiting, the floodgates of the heavens opened. For forty days and forty nights, an unrelenting rain heralded an endless sea. The waters rose, swallowing mountains, hills, and all horizons. Noah's ark became a sanctuary adrift on the furious waves, the last sign of life on earth. Everything left behind—every human, bird, domesticated and wild creature—succumbed to the relentless waters. The entire world was plunged into a silence where even cries were drowned out.

The Receding Waters and A New Beginning The earth remained submerged for a full one hundred and fifty days. Then, a grace descended: God remembered Noah and all the living creatures with him in the ark. A divine wind sent over the earth caused the waters to recede, and finally, the ark came to rest on Mount Ararat.

A Dove and an Olive Branch: The Symbol of Peace As the waters receded, Noah first sent out a raven. But the raven, finding no dry land, did not return. Next, he released a dove, the symbol of hope. That day, the dove, unable to find a dry place to land, returned to him. Noah lovingly took it in. He waited patiently for another seven days and sent the dove out again. This time, the dove returned in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. This was the great sign that the land was absorbing the waters and that life would once again sprout. Finally, in the six hundred and first year of Noah's life, on the first day of the first month, the earth was completely dry. Those who had taken refuge in the ark stepped out into a brand new world. This was not just the end of a flood, but the story of a new covenant and a hopeful beginning for humanity.